Cataclysmic Peace
by Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare
Summary: SEQUEL TO DB! It's been five years since they got together, and it's a few months before Temari's and Shikamaru's wedding in the epilogue. And according to the definitions inside, the past is about to be repeated for their anniversary’s sake..:.AU NaruGaa
1. Part 1: Remember?

Cataclysmic: a sudden, violent upheaval causing destruction or great change. _Synonym:_ disastrous; _Antonym:_ peaceful  
Peace: a period of calm; a soothing moment; freedom from conflict. _Synonym:_ harmony; _Antonym:_ cataclysm  
A 'cataclysmic peace': an oxymoron which implies that any event which is meant to be harmonious is in fact disastrous and will cause a drastic change. _Example:_ Trying to repeat the past for an anniversary with no hope that the reaction will be similar; and yet the unexpected happens.

* * *

Part 1: Remember?

_He took a deep, steady breath. Naruto joined Gaara on the bed in their rented cabin for the weekend to celebrate the Sabaku boy's eighteenth birthday. He put one leg up between them to face the other teen. He twisted the class ring from his pinky finger and held it up. _

"_Do you know what this is?" Naruto asked._

"_An extremely old class ring?" the other supplied as his answer. His heart began to race. What's Naruto up to, exactly…?_

"_That's right," he said with a smile. His hands quaked with nerves. And that old crawling feeling from when he 'hated' Gaara nipped at his skin again. "It was Kyuubi's when he went to Konoha High. It's has a real sapphire on it, and is fifty percent silver. And y'know, I never got why people buy class rings or why they pass them down to their children. It never made sense to me." _

"_It's a 'coming of age' type of ordeal," Gaara said slowly. How does this relate to his present? Naruto wasn't going to… give him that ring, was he? That's would mean… 'Oh, my God.' Gaara thought. He raised a hand to his mouth and hid it from view. _

_Naruto shrugged. "I guess so. You get class rings to remember your high school years, and sometimes, in those cheesy movies my mom used to watch, they were used to 'go steady' with someone; which is like getting engaged to me. Pretty silly, huh?"_

_The redhead shook his head. Through his hand, he mumbled out: "Not to me."_

"_Well, I'm glad we agree; it's not silly to me, either. I think it's the opposite, in fact: it's very serious." _

_Naruto reached for Gaara's free hand (his left) and slipped the blue-stoned class ring, labeled 1986, onto his ring finger. And he didn't let go. His hands warmed the pale one between them, and his nerves vanished. Although they felt as if transported to Resshin, for his newly ringed hand began to quiver in Shippuuden's. _

"_Naruto…" Resshin breathed out so slowly it felt like the name took an eternity to roll off his lips. It's almost as if his heart stopped. _

_This proposition had been too much for Gaara, and he had cried and rejected the ring with a simple, 'I can't accept this'. And that's all there had been to it._

_Afterward… _

How did I ever get to deserve you? How does karma work, that if I've been a heartless clamshell over half my life I receive something like this? _The Sabaku boy thought dimly._

"_Some people need a break, you know," Naruto said as if to answer his thoughts. "Some people are good really deep down, and just need a bit of pushing to get them to show it. And then some people are just bound together, so no matter what one person is like, they find their precious person at one point in their lives."_

_Progressively, Gaara found his voice to reply. "Where did you get that from, Naruto?" _

_The other shrugged as he kept one arm around the redhead's waist and turned them to face the direction of the cabin. They were ready to head back… if they walked slowly. "I think one of those phrases might've been based off a fortune cookie or something my dad said. But I know for a fact that my mom said the first one. 'Some people need a break, dear,' she told me when I was little, a while before her death. 'Because some people can't grow up like you did. You'll understand when you're older, Naru, that everyone has problems. And sometimes, you need to think about that before you open your mouth.'"_

"_Why did she tell you this?" Gaara had asked out of curiosity. _

"_Because I got into a fight with Sasuke in first grade. We weren't always friends and hell if I know we are today. Anyhow, my mom was trying to explain that just because I have a good life, that doesn't mean everyone else does. And that I should be kind and courteous to others. I gave him a bruised knee, though. It was purple and blue from the top to the bottom and all the way around the front. If I hadn't been so flimsy, I probably could've dislocated his kneecap." He chuckled lightly. "Still… I understand what she meant. I don't think I ever fully did until after I got into that fight with you in eighth grade. By freshman year, I felt guilty about it, even if I swore to still hate you."_

_The poet's eyebrow muscles came together at that statement. "You felt guilty? Why?"_

_Naruto smiled sadly. "Because after you lose a parent, you tend to look back on everything they ever said to you. And I thought about what she said about people having a break. And I thought: 'Damn, I should have cut that guy a break; he probably was having a really bad day, and who knows, maybe he had a bad home life, too. And I only made things worse.' Which now I know is the truth, isn't it?"_

_Gaara merely nodded. That had been the truth. But he had been too thoughtful at the moment to say so, or say much of anything. Naruto had said some extremely meaningful things without knowing it. And those words had helped the redhead in a tremendous way._

o0o0o0o0o

Five years have passed to the day since they met at Starbucks after being e-pals for an entire month through a mandatory school assignment rightfully named the Faceless-and-Nameless project. Their technology teacher, Iruka Umino, had been the one to assign it. And since that day when his e-partner, Resshin, revealed himself to be his greatest enemy, Gaara Sabaku, Naruto Uzumaki – named from his mother's maiden name and raised by her half brother Kyuubi Bijuu – had rethought through things and came to be in love with the redhead. And, even though he hardly showed it, Gaara felt the same way for the knuckleheaded blonde.

Even if the night Naruto proposed that they go steady had gone completely awry, they had stayed together because both were so unwilling to let go. One rejection of a gift wasn't going to get in the way, not when the two had finally found each other. Besides, like Naruto had told him, some people are bound together, and shouldn't ever be taken apart. Not when they're two halves of the same whole.

So here they are, sharing a flat since both their college debts are so huge. Gaara had graduated early that June with a bachelor's degree in Literature. He's working with an editor for a big-time publishing company to get his poems printed in collective books. Naruto, on the other hand, is scheduled to finish college with a general (unspecific) bachelor's degree in December, and have his graduation ceremony in February of next year.

Now, it's on this five-years-to-the-day early evening in September that Naruto comes into the house with mail in his hands.

"Hmm," he hums in a chipper tone, "What do we have here? Gaara, we got invited to a wedding."

"Whose is it?" the blonde's roommate asks dully, his eyes glued to the page of a novel.

"Temari's and Shikamaru's." He laughs in reply. "How much you wanna bet your brother will pull a funeral-moment on us and cry again?"

Gaara looks up, a quizzical look on his face. He couldn't believe it; the lazy Shikamaru Nara, a long-time friend of Naruto's, is going to marry his older sister? Personally, Gaara thinks their entire engagement is a joke. Their relationship can't possibly last in his opinion. And yet it appears that it is. He would love to see that wedding… and he will, in a little over half a year. Although he doubts that Kankurou will cry at the wedding.

"The date is set to be the thirteenth of May next year; about seven months away. What a coincidence… Do you know what today is?" the hurricane asks cheerfully as he comes to sit beside the earthquake. The talk of marriage made him remember something; now he's going to see if Gaara remembers as well.

"Saturday?" he replies as he turns the page of the novel he's reading. The wedding news pretty much left him speechless, so he's glad Naruto doesn't dwell on it and moves on to another subject.

Naruto smiles and shakes his head. "That's not what I meant."

A small frown crosses Gaara's hairless brows. "Then what did you mean? The date? It's the –"

"Nope; not that either," the blonde smirks. "Want me to tell you?"

"Since I have no idea what you're talking about… yes, tell me."

"It's the five-year anniversary of when we met each other at Starbucks. I think that's even more important than our five-year anniversary of when we got together because without that meeting, we wouldn't be together, would we?" he explains gently. "Plus, five is a good number… half of ten, which in years, would be a decade. Half a decade… wow. How many high school romances (besides your sister's and Kiba and Hinata's) do you know lasted that long so far? I don't even know if Neji and TenTen will get back together, since she seems to be a bit mad at him at the moment."

Gaara looks up from his book and cocks his head slightly. Where is the blonde going with this?

"And since I actually remembered this year and we both aren't busy for once, I thought it only appropriate to give you something to celebrate." Naruto continues.

Suddenly, Gaara is panicking. The last time Naruto gave him a gift out of the blue it made him physically shut down and mentally spazz, ultimately leading to a rejection to his hurricane from him. Which is something he never expected would happen; he had been sure that Naruto was only temporary, and that someday things would drift and like everything else good in his life, Gaara's love would leave him. Yet it didn't happen, and they were even living together from the start of college to today.

It's funny; their guardians, Shukaku and Kyuubi, only agreed to let them live together because they knew the two boys were too unsure and shy to have sex, even if they were in love. In some ways, their love was too deep and pure to be full of lust. It sounded a bit unrealistic to say such a thing, especially about two young boys like themselves, but Naruto wasn't going to force Gaara into anything he didn't want to do, despite his own inner perverted wishes.

Yet here Gaara sits, being forced into something, although not sexually related. He calms his breath and looks into Naruto's richly cerulean blue eyes. "And what would that be?"

"This," the blonde says simply. He pulls out a box and opens the lid. Kyuubi's old class ring from his senior year of high school, year 1986, lay on a pad of faux black velvet.

Without meaning to, Gaara gasps. It's just as he feared… and wished for. He said he wanted to make it up to Naruto back when he first rejected this exact ring, so this is a big opportunity.

Naruto bends down on one knee. "I know it's unofficial, and we can't have a real ceremony or anything, but… will you commit to me for the rest of your life?" Easily translated to, 'will you marry me?'

Pulling on a performance like the actor he had been in high school, Gaara stands and hardens his face. "Naruto. You've asked me this once already," he states with an almost cold voice. "And before, I refused to accept it."

Shippuuden's face falters, and he stares like a buck caught in headlights, wondering what's about to happen.

"But this time…" he paprika-haired man says slowly as his face softens. He crouches down to be eyelevel with his hurricane. He picks up the tiny black box and slips the ring onto his left hand on the finger beside his pinky. "…I can't refuse, can I?" And he gives Naruto one of his rare smiles.

And Naruto returns the smile tenfold. He stands (hauling Gaara to his feet in the process) and gives the redhead the biggest, plumpest kiss he's ever given. He's more than blissful, if there is such a thing on Naruto's happiness scale. "I really didn't think you'd accept, Gaara, I was so nervous! But you did, and I… Oh, thank you so much!" He buries his face in the crimson red locks, which smell like vanilla and sandalwood like they always do.

Gaara lays a pale, newly ringed hand on Naruto's shoulder and turns his head to get another kiss from the blonde. "You shouldn't thank me. I owed it to you," he breathes onto Naruto's mouth. He doesn't give enough time for his hurricane to ask him to elaborate, for after he says those words he dives for yet another kiss. This one he deepens to get a taste of the fiery, ramen-laced cavern he's come to memorize through the years.

Out of nowhere, a moan leaks into the kiss from Naruto's end. Gaara's never treated him this way in the past… and daresay he is enjoying it.

"You're more vocal than usual," the poet notes.

"Get those lips back here," is the response. He taps his own beaming lips with his fingers to indicate where 'here' is.

But Gaara shakes his head and settles into Naruto's lap. He doesn't want to return to Naruto's lips; he's curious now what other sorts of moans he can squeeze out of the blonde. Plus, he has to give a good gift in return, right? And a 'thank you' for the opportunity of accepting the ring, since he turned Naruto down the first time around.

So, moving ever so slowly, the redhead inclines his head and closes his eyeliner-layered lids to kiss a thick trail along Naruto's jaw from ear to ear. Under his horomone-filled fingers, he feels flesh rise with goosebumps on Naruto's arms. Gaara nearly smiles to himself, but instead brings a soft spot of skin into his mouth from just below the blonde's ear, on the side of his neck. Shippuuden lets out a purr-like sigh and wraps his arms around his …fiancée?... tighter while muttering incoherent things.

For reasons he can't locate currently, Gaara finds Naruto's clothing an obstacle and much too warm for his liking. So, with great care, he removes the blonde's festively orange t-shirt and glides his hands over the burning, satisfyingly smooth expanse of the tanned chest beneath.

Naruto chuckles and lifts Gaara from his thighs. "I have a feeling this is going to be a lot different than our usual movie-night couch-centered make-out sessions." He sends the redhead a mischievous glance and motions his head to his bedroom. "Shall we make our marriage official?"

Gaara blinks. All he had been about to do was nip at Naruto's collar bone and maybe swirl his tongue around one nipple or both; not entirely go all-out and into the other boy's pants. Suddenly, pre-wedding-like jitters course down Gaara's already adrenaline-fueled body, causing his heart to bat around inside his ribcage. Is he prepared for what Naruto's suggesting? No doubt the blonde has been prepared since at least the past three years, but… And they've never indulged in such an act before, not even close, and yet…

Slightly unsure, he follows Naruto into the bedroom and watches the blonde's grin grow. Part of him (his brain) knows this isn't a smart idea. But the rest of Gaara (his body) knows this is. For once, a hint of lust edges his love, but the edge is small compared to his nerves.


	2. Part 2: Joined At Last

Part 2: Joined At Last

It starts simple enough…

Gaara lies down on the bed and Naruto joins him on the unmade sheets, his nose brushing the poet's jaw since his lips are too busy smiling to kiss the underside of the mandible like he intended to. And the redhead sighs, glad that the lead has been taken from him; he's feeling too nervous and excited to think.

But then things get less simple…

Eagerly, Naruto's fingers find the button on Gaara's charcoal gray jeans and undo it, and as soon as that's done, he's fumbling with the tiny metal zipper top and yanking it down. He wants to claim the redhead as soon as possible.

A topsy-turvy sensation rumbles in the pit of Gaara's stomach as heat flows to the place where Naruto's hands currently rest. To distract himself, Gaara slips his shirt off and brings his arms around Naruto's neck. He presses his lips hard against the hollow of Shippuuden's throat, trying his hardest not to think, and to merely act on instinct. It's worked in the past for other people in similar situations, so why not for Gaara now, in this situation?

In his own body, Naruto can't help but move according to not instinct, but the crushing _need_ he's been suppressing in his very core. He's wanted for years to show Resshin precisely how much he loves him, and forever will be in love with him. He's wanted to show it, too, the only way he knows how: through the art of love-making. And this is the first chance he's been given to physically 'marry' the man he's in love with.

The word 'love-making' is stressed. It's not sex; 'sex' isn't correct for this act-to-be at all. 'Sex' makes what they're getting around to doing sound like a one-time thing in which one of the precipitants leave the next morning. 'Sex' implies that you want the event to be dirty or crazy or with multiple people at once or throughout your lifetime; which is not at all true for either Naruto or Gaara. They want only each other and will _never_ leave.

Hence, Naruto slows himself despite his _need_ and slides off Gaara's pants less hastily. He also pays attention to the expression on Gaara's face, which he can tell is still a bit hesitant. Especially since Naruto's own blue denim pants and forest green boxers are on whereas the redhead beneath him is rendered nearly nude with only his short navy briefs. With an apologetic smile, the hurricane un-loops Gaara's arm from his neck and removes his own jeans. "Better?" he mutters.

The earthquake's face seems to clear of uncertainty and he nods.

Gently, Naruto brushes back the red strands from Gaara's forehead and kisses at it, his full lips coming down between the eyes and resting on the mouth. At the same time, he leans forward and presses his hips to Gaara's, their groins mashing together through the thin layers of fabric. A throaty moan from Gaara is smothered by Naruto's deliberately perched lips. Discreetly, the redhead feels himself grow stiffer below the waist from the heated pressure. This new closeness and level of passion seems out of place in their relationship since it's much deeper than what they've done in the past, but so far Gaara's adapting. He wants to give himself to Naruto, and wants to mark the blonde as his own in turn. And that ring, that simple piece of jewelry, is apparently all it takes to get them here.

The blonde's breathing pattern escalates into a pant as he unlocks his lips from the redhead's. With closed eyes, Shippuuden feels his way down Resshin's chin with his lips to his neck and eventually to the indent of his chest under his sternum. He licks that place, his tongue dipping down into it and trialing up between the pectorals.

The redhead can't help but arch his back slightly, his skin unaccustomed to the tickling, wet warmth so close to his stomach. To make matters worse, Naruto somehow incorporated his hand into the mix and was using it to spider-crawl his fingers to Gaara's belly button and along where his treasure trail might be if he had pubic hair, which he doesn't (not even have eyebrow hair; it's a birth defect).

The stomach-flipping tickle that Naruto made caused even more heat to spread to the redhead's growing erection, and it frightens him. Since their bodies are so close, he's aware of Naruto's doing the same. But that's hardly the point; the point is, the harder he gets, the more of an invite he subconsciously gives Naruto to speed things up before he prematurely ejaculates. And by some inner stubborn will, Gaara refused to do so before his soon-to-be lover.

Then, without warning, the tan hand that had been tickling him suddenly grabs hold of the grey rim of his underwear, and Gaara lets out a teeny squeak. He blushes and shuts his eyes, his way of telling Naruto it's all right to proceed. 'But,' he communicates without words by opening his eyes and gripping Naruto's own boxers, 'only if yours come off, too'. He doesn't want to feel like he's at the disadvantage.

Naruto nods his consent. In two fateful sweeps, he casts aside their undergarments and positions himself to kneel as he looks down at Gaara's exposed frame.

The redhead props himself up on his elbows. He feels suddenly heavy, his elbows digging deep into the mattress. He doesn't like being pored over with Naruto's too-blue eyes. It feels strange, since he's never been naked in front of the blonde, even over the years that they've lived together. He was careful to time his showers to be during Naruto's classes, so no accidental nudity occurred. And to be honest, he's caught one glimpse of Naruto's nude backside when his towel fell on his way to his room; but this is different. Now Gaara could see Naruto's front in all it's glory, and he nearly covered his eyes from how heavily his embarrassment weighed on his face. He feels like a giggling virgin girl, who he almost is, save for he isn't a girl and he isn't laughing.

But Naruto is laughing. He uses a line he heard Gaara say once so many years ago, although in a different context. "See something you like?"

Gaara doesn't bother to respond. He merely sits up long enough to drag Naruto back to the bed. The blonde makes a whimper of protest, as if he wasn't done looking. And that's proven fact with what he says next.

"You're beautiful, y'know," he murmurs as he kisses the paler stomach, ultimately grinding out another soft moan from the man under him. "I used to shower after I did any sports in P.E., and I've seen some bodies. Some being more hideous or handsome than others. But none of them compare to yours; none of them are as soft-looking or slender or pale or perfect. I think I'd almost give up my own body for yours. Can I? Can I have your body? I promise I'll take care of it," Naruto rambles without even knowing what he's saying.

He concentrates auxiliary on where his hands are touching on that amazing figure. Like the ribs and the hips and as much of the thighs as he's able feel from his angle. Goodness, does he adore Gaara's body. And finally, _finally,_ he has permission to touch it. Naruto is greedy that way: he respected Gaara's space the entire time of their relationship so far, but secretly held a smidge of lust for a broken-down barrier that allowed him to touch. And, it seems, this is that moment with the broken barrier.

He doesn't even wait for the answer to 'can I have your body?' before he moves aside enough to fondle the soft, tempting space between the two shaped legs.

"Naruto!" Gaara gasps sharply through his teeth. Holy cow, he's never felt anything like that: a rush of pure hunger up his spine paired with an aching heat in his length. How can one touch do that much? He's rarely masturbated, but he knows for sure he's never experienced anything like that. It must be Naruto, and **only** Naruto that can stir such a thing within him.

"Is that alright?" said man asks with worry. He doesn't want to make Gaara uneasy, but he does want to let the poet feel every pleasure he can think of. He cares about that stuff, unlike some people.

Blinking once or twice, Resshin nods and looks into Naruto's eyes. Wordlessly, he tells him one thing: 'I'm ready for you'.

Smiling gently, and trying not to release any of his newly forming electric energy, Shippuuden turns his love over and runs his thumbs down the redhead's inner thighs, causing Gaara to reflexively spread them.

Naruto didn't want to cause any pain when he finally got to this point, so he had purchased a little tube not too long ago that would help. He retrieves it now from the drawer of his end table and unscrews the cap. Chilly goo oozes onto his palm, and he works it in his hands for a moment to make it warmer. He spots Gaara glancing back at him unsurely, and raises his hands to show his partner what he's doing.

Gaara blushes slightly and immediately turns his head, his eyes shut tight. This is it…

He waits a moment, and then feels a finger probing his entrance. It's foreign and slightly painful. Automatically, his muscles tense, but Gaara realizes after a second that Naruto is rotating his finger to loosen the muscles. Exhaling yoga-style, Gaara relaxes himself and allows room for a second finger, which Naruto provides. Then there is a scissoring motion, stretching him, which also feels extremely foreign. At the moment, the redhead isn't so sure he likes the dynamics of homosexuality. Or perhaps it's this "uke" position. He swears to himself that he's going to top Naruto sooner rather than later, just so the other could feel how strange this –

But Gaara's thoughts fade as Naruto's meaty fingers hook and pull out entirely before pushing back in and spreading. This flowing motion sends a new sensation through the poet's body, and something about it makes his erection twitch. A second and third time with a similar motion causes Gaara's eyelids to lower and his lips to part as a low moan escapes. What is Naruto hitting inside him that makes the unusual action _pleasurable_?

Naruto doesn't comment on the reaction he's making in his normally stoic partner. Instead, he adjusts his kneel and scoots closer to Gaara's entrance. He hears a small, protesting growl when he removes his fingers completely, but the growl transforms into a 'ah!' of surprise as he forces himself inside, using Gaara's hips as leverage. Now is the moment of truth. Now it's time to seal the deal and _join_ them.

The first thing he feels is the heat. It's very hot. Scorching, in fact. Tiny prickles, like needles, are lit in random places in Gaara's rectum. He can feel from the inside every fraction of Naruto, and he holds back tears that dare to spring to his eyes. Now this is… **odd.** His blonde lover had gone in slowly, but even then it hurt. Not to mention it feels utterly awkward. When is this supposed to make him scream with ecstasy like they say?

On the other end, Naruto can't quite contain himself. He knows there must be a few drops of pre-orgasm leaking into his dear earthquake. There is so much wonderful pressure all around his member and heat to not have that happen. But now, he knows, he has to start moving.

So, the blonde lolls his hips and pulls out to the tip. Gaara makes an indescribable noise mostly through his teeth, but it isn't a noise of pain. In fact, there is a sort of ring in that noise that makes Naruto shove back in faster than he planned to, and to his joy, Gaara yelp-moans in the loudest voice he's ever heard the poet utter. For once his vocal cords get a workout.

Gaara nearly bites his bottom lip in half with how delicious and slightly painful that thrust was. And he likes that it doesn't stop.

His dear Shippuuden continues, though not as quickly, with delicate, loving thrusts. They beat up, in, down, and out in a constant rhythm. Up, in, down, out… It feels as natural as breathing. It's like a heart thudding during a first kiss. Or, better yet, like the sun every day; rising **up** each morning, letting sunlight **in** through the windows, sinking **down** each night and fading **out **to reveal the moon. And Gaara is that moon, chasing the sun and waiting for it each time. – Ironic (and fitting) how Naruto's hair is the exact shade of sunny yellow.

As the minutes drag into half an hour, Gaara finally understands what about this can make someone scream. He arches his spine and rotates his hips in time with the passionate thrusts to the point where he's left on his knees, Naruto right behind him, perspiration sticking Naruto's chest to his back. His fingers somehow entangle themselves in Naruto's golden locks and Naruto's hands encase Gaara's thighs with a possessive grip that says, 'I'm never letting you go'. The redhead's only guess how this came to be was from the intensity of his prostrate being hit so skillfully by Naruto consecutively throughout the wondrous thirty minutes.

The entire time, the lone thing the poet hears is how deeply Naruto loves him. They're technically moaned sweet nothings, and yet, these words he hears aren't 'nothing' at all, but _something._ And he also hears how much effort the blonde is putting forth to show that proclaimed love: his breathing is just as labored as Gaara's, although his is more peaceful.

Yet, as peaceful as he seems, Gaara knew his hurricane was about to blow. Naruto's at his limit, his erection growing tense; the redhead can sense it. Plus, nothing about this can be considered 'peaceful' entirely; it's comforting to have someone love Gaara so much since no one before or since has, true, but the way it changes things drastically and racks his and his lover's bodies… it's practically cataclysmic. Put that together, and you get **a cataclysmic peace.**

As predicted, Naruto explodes. His seed fills Gaara's innards and sends a rush of soothing liquid through him, somehow even hotter than the original entering action.

Gaara can't calculate what that does to him. All he knows is that he's finding himself dropping to the bed with his hands clutching the sheets. With that burst, he hears his name echoing throughout the house from Naruto's mouth in a shrill cry of ecstasy.

But, as the blonde removes himself and falls to the bed beside him, Gaara realizes something: he hasn't come yet. He ended up outlasting Naruto without trying to.

With a spasm in his muscles attempting to get his hole back to it's normal size, Gaara turns his head to looks Naruto over. The blonde's bangs are entirely soaked and the scars on his cheeks are glistening with sweat. His lovely irises are hidden from view by his eyelids, but a smile is eating his face. And Gaara can think solely of this: it's _his_ turn.

He thought he was blissful before when Gaara accepted his ring… but that didn't compare to what the blonde feels now. He finally did it; he made love to the one person he's ever been in love with, and joined them together. It's like marrying his best friend… but it a totally manly way.

Shippuuden's eyes fly open, however, when he feels Gaara carefully straddle him. He looks up to see the cylinder of lubricant in Gaara's hands. "You're not… _serious_…, are you?" he asks breathlessly in disbelief. "Aren't you… tired?"

"Yes," the other replies, "But I didn't come yet."

As if that explains everything. In a way, it does; it'd be a crime to deny his lover the same oblivion he just experienced.

Still, Naruto's about to protest and say he's too tired. But Resshin silences him with a sweaty kiss that tastes like cinnamon and faintly blood; exactly how he remembers his earthquake used to always taste like.

Naruto melts into the kiss and plays with Gaara's tongue as his legs get spread. A finger coated in lube enters him. He winces into the kiss, realizing just how much it probably hurt the redhead even if he tried his hardest not to let it be painful. After a few short moments, however, he forgets the pain as he squirms from the idyllic sensation of Gaara's length slipping inside him. And with this innovative position, he sees every expression crossing his lover's face, and can relate it to being like a girl making love for the first time, staring up at the face she adores most. Except, of 'course, Naruto's a guy.

As he begins moving, the only thing Naruto recognizes in Gaara's eyes is raw love and in his face, pure happiness. He's never seen the redhead this happy, and he's glad that he was the one who helped make his lover so genuinely content. He doesn't even care that his "uke" is now playing "seme"; he likes it this way, with them taking turns. Their relationship is equal. It's merited to have a switch in roles. Although all in this one night feels like a bit much, he's not complaining. Not when the waves of heat are flowing through him so sweetly and steadily, hitting the unseen target each time.

His throat acting on it's own, Naruto purrs Gaara's name. His arms also working with minds of their own, Naruto reaches up and clasps his hands behind Gaara's neck, holding on as he goes along for the ride.

It doesn't last the full half-hour of Naruto's run, however; it lasts merely half that amount. For at unerringly fifteen minutes, Gaara shakes from head to toe and cries out softly as shimmering white pours out of him and onto the sheets.

The redhead's bones turn to jelly and his slender form collapses onto Naruto. He barely has the strength to pull himself out. Yet he manages to with the blonde's assistance.

Shippuuden snakes his arms around his 'husband' and he places a kiss on the blood red tattoo etched on his forehead. "…I now pronounce us partners for life. But I'm too tired to kiss the bri– I mean, groom."

Resshin chuckles curtly at the light humor. Once he catches his breath enough to speak, Gaara utters the four words he's never said the entire five years he's been with his e-pal. "I love you, Naruto."

The other man goes silent. Even his breathing stops for a millisecond. His eyes fill with tears; he's been longing to hear those words directly. And he knew they'd come eventually, so he was patient, waiting until Gaara was ready to say them. And now he has, and it makes the blond want to cry.

Naruto buries his nose into the damp red hair on his chest, intimately crushing Gaara to his very heart and soul. "I-I love you, too… more than you'll ever know."

"I think I do know," Gaara replies softly while gently shifting his weight to not be as crushed. "I think you physically told me how much tonight." He looks at the class ring on his left hand and then down at their bodies.

It's Naruto's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're pretty much dead on with that one."

There's a pause as the poet grimaces in the dark. "I feel sticky. But I'm too spent to take a shower."

"Weddings are like that," Naruto laughs softer. In this case, he meant the action, but even the wedding they were going to attend in a few months would leave everyone sweaty, tired, and still partying (which causes you to be unable to shower). "So you can go to sleep and worry about that stickiness in the morning."


	3. Part 3: I'll Cover You

Part 3: I'll Cover You

Dusk came and passed and night befalls the town outside Naruto's and Gaara's apartment. Naruto began drifting into sleep; the picture of Gaara's flushed, vaguely smiling face with the fervent, half-lidded eyes in his mind.

But he's awakened from of his near-slumber when he hears the rich, enticing sound of Gaara's voice. Singing. And there's not a trace of tiredness in his tone whatsoever. Naruto assumes that the redhead has insomnia once again, even if he's been off his 'happy pills' for years and didn't have much caffeine today. It must out of habit.

Fully conscious, Naruto pays attention to the lyrics to see what song that harmonious voice is reciting.

"Open your door  
I'll be your tenant  
Don't got much baggage to lay at your feet  
But sweet kisses I've got to spare  
I'll be there  
And I'll cover you…" he laments.

The blonde knows that song… it's from _Rent_, a play they did in high school, as well as a famous movie. Gaara had played Tom Collins in that play, which is the character that portion of 'I'll Cover You' belongs to.

On the next verse, Naruto listens carefully as Gaara gains more gusto and sings louder. He doesn't remember the song well, but Gaara clearly does. He watches the redhead sit up and continue,

"I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love  
Now I know you can rent it, and new lease  
You are my love, my one life  
Be my life…

"Just slip me on  
I'll be your blanket  
Where ever, what ever  
I'll be your coat…"

He pauses to clear his throat and skip over a verse or two. Naruto blinks in the dim light up at the other young man's face, realizing suddenly that Gaara isn't singing this without any specific reason. On the contrary, he's signing directly to the blonde with all his heart.

"I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love  
Now I know you can rent it, and new lease  
You are my love, my one life  
All my life…  
I've longed to discover something as true as this is…

"So with a thousand sweet kisses  
I'll cover you  
With a thousand sweet kisses  
I'll cover you  
When you're worn out and tired  
When you're heart has expired…

"Oh, lover, I'll cover you…  
Yes, lover, I'll cover…  
Oh, my lover…  
I'll cover you…  
Until my life is through  
I'll be here to cover you  
If only you promise to cover me, too."

The final verse wasn't in the song; Gaara had modified it to fit the melody of the lines he had skipped, and to give it more meaning. Funny how the made-up lines seem to materialize from thin air and yet flow perfectly.

Naruto's left speechless. "Resshin-koi…" he whispers to fill his silence, and giving Gaara a new nickname in the process.

"I didn't, not once, think of Neji while acting in that play," the poet says with a lick of his dry lips. "It was the first main role I was ever cast, and I only got it because I dared to tough out the physical contact and break from my sandy-rough shell. And even if I snapped at you not to come to see the show or the auditions, in retrospect I gave that order to you as a challenge; I _wanted_ you to come. Some teeny part of me wanted you to see while I sang to and interacted with 'Angel' that this is what I felt for you. I pictured your face every time I had to stage-kiss Neji, and I imagined singing to you every time I had a singing part as Tom. There was so acting, really; only freedom to express what I was holding inside."

Aside from the vocal sexercise, Gaara apparently had more to say than mere moans. He meant every word, and didn't want to cut corners and take the detour in his speech like he normally does. He had a lot to say, and he said it. That's all.

Naruto brings his naked body to Gaara's and holds him tight around the waist. "I was a little jealous back then, I'll admit. But not any more. Thanks for telling me that," he mumbles into the skin of Gaara's shoulder.

"No need to thank me," the other retorts with a snort. He doesn't want Naruto to start up again; because those lip movements on his skin were enough to send a small wave to his crotch. "Just go to sleep."

And the blonde obeys; he adjusts his position, brings the unsoiled covers over himself the man he loves, his _soul mate_, and closes his eyes.

And together, they dream.

They dream of the red-feathered Resshin and the yellow-feathered Shippuuden, a pair of humans with large angel wings, which is something that's never happened in the past in their dreams of the rebirthing birds. The two soar over the destroyed earth and the violent sky, smiling and laughing the entire time, still as nude and free as always. They weave around one another and kiss a couple times. But they're young again, much younger, appearing around the ages of seven and eight. Yet as they fly higher, they age rapidly; into teenagers, young adults, grown men, and finally until they swirl into the wind and ripple across the Earth, reduced to dead ashes. This time, they aren't reborn. Because they have finally found peace amongst the cataclysm.

And now, after such a binding spell, Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara Sabaku find in the backs of their minds that their love can't be measured by repeating dreams with hundreds of different lifetimes. It's measured simply by each and every breathtaking moment.

_**.**END**.**_


End file.
